My first Schwarzbier so I went into it not knowing exactly what to expect. The pour was nice with some "cascading" action going on in the bubbles, creating a nice creamy, smooth, tan head which lasted forever. It was a lovely, almost black, ruby color which you could only make out at the edges. The aroma was malty, chocolates, and some caramel and a hint of roasted malt right before the beer hit my tongue. With the way it looks and smells you expect to find a heavy full-bodied beer like a stout, but this isn't a stout. The taste begins where the aroma left off with the roasted malt flavors, with hints of chocolate and caramel. The beer has a very nice, crisp and clean flavor to it reassuring you that it is indeed, a lager. Near the end, the roasted, coffee bitterness leaves you wanting more. This combined with its clean, roasted flavors, and it's medium-low body make it a very refreshing and easy drinking beer.

Herold's Schwarzbier pours a very dark and rich mahogany body with orange and ruby highlights. The creamy, light tan head holds quite well and leaves some nice splashes of lace about the glass. Mild darkly roasted grains appear in the nose along with some grainy Munich malts. It's medium bodied and smooth across the palate with a fine-bubbled, median carbonation that lightly caresses the tongue. In the flavor it's maltiness dominates: caramelish, chocolatey and roasty. Some light, grassy and floral hop flavors appear, unfortunately followed by some unwanted fermentation esters. It's well balanced, and it finishes dry and lingering. Quite flavorful and very drinkable.

Black with a nice light brown head. Noticeable chocolate aromas in the nose. Taste was a whole lot of malt with nice burnt character. Moderately bitter finish. My first schwarzbier... I think I will be trying some more.

Poured a smooth, but thin looking near-black in color. Lots of foamy head that was slightly tinted khaki. Not much light could pierce through the glass. Nose is malty and just a hint of smoke and ash rise to the nostrils. Nice mild beer. Superbly drinkable. No particular sulphuric tones which has been the downfall of many schwarzbiers in my experience. Lots of toasted malts. Thin feeling but appropriately so.

There's a really nice mix of chocolate, nut, and grain flavors in this one. As you drink more, the sweet tastes, while not disappearing, yield some ground to a hops bite and a general spiceness. Everything is well-blended and tuned to the right levels, making this beer highly drinkable.

This is my favorite schwarzbier. Strange that it's not german, but true to style and then some.

Pours a nearly opaque black, some fizzy carbonation and tan foam. Not much to note in the aroma, some roasty malt as it warms.

Taste is rich and roasty malt, light efferescent carb at first. Develops a mildly sour fruity note later, which is pretty subdued. Freshness is key for optimal taste, i've had old bottles that were lackluster. Supremely easy to drink, and pure velvet on the palate. Give me about six of these and i'l call you next week...

This is a deep ruby colored beer with a thick, foamy, malted-milk color head. Aroma is overpoweringly of sweet green apple, kind of like some of Sam Smith's beers, but even stronger. Hey, I like it.

Flavor is that same green apple along with a chocolatey malt base and a slightly roasted bitterness. It all comes together exceptionally smoothly with a suprisingly crisp finish. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy, which is nice, but something lighter would really make this brew heavenly. I don't know much about Schwarzbier but I know this is a new favorite of mine no matter what you call it.

It's desert. Desert. At first glance most people are turned-off. It's dark with a dark head. At first sip people are suprised. It smells like burned cookers chocolate. Definatly one to try and make a seasonal habit of.

500 mL bottle with no freshness date - served chilled in a pilsner glass. Pours black - between that of a porter and a stout - with ruby highlights and a 1 finger brown head that leaves some lacing. Smells of sweet chocolate, roasted malts, figs, apples, and a hint of metal right as I opened the bottle. There is both sweet and bitter chocolate on the palate, along with toasted malts, coffee, figs, a bit of raisins, apples, and green/spicy hops. Kinda like an imperial stout - quite nice. It has a medium to light body that is tingly like a lager yet smooth. A delicious lager that's better than Köstritzer in my opinion.

This beer is similar in color to a good porter. Just a bit of light gets through. Very little head, only a small ring around the edge. The smell is pretty faint. Maybe a little hint of roasted grains. The taste is of roasted grains with a slight cola-like taste thrown in. The mouthfeel and drinkability lift this beer up high. There is absolutly no negative aftertase. A very smooth beer. Slight bitterness is noted. As for drinkabilty, this is one of the best that I've had. I was somewhat relunctant to try this one but now I'm sorry I waited so long. This beer will be on my list to try often. This was my first from this brewer. It makes me want to try their other selections. A good beer worthy of much praise.

Purchased from the back fridge at Andy's Corner in Bogota, NJ. A big "thanks" to George & Tommy for carrying this wonderful example of a schwarzbier.

Served at a little over fridge temperature in a nonic after dinner. 16.9 oz. bottle, no freshness date.

Appearance- Pours a deep, glowing ruby-black with an amazing incandescence. Nice cookie-dough 1" head that remains for a good several minutes, leaving a slick, sticky lace down the sides of my glass. A very sexy, elegant beer for the eyes.

Smell- The first thing I got was chocolate milk, the kind that you drank real cold back in fourth grade after school... not from a box, from a huge glass that you needed two hands to manage. Then comes the lightly roasted coffee beans and the malts. Rich, masterful aroma that could only come from the hands of an artisan brewery.

Taste- Mocha, coffee, chocolate, malts, Saaz hops... in that order. Delightfully light yet full bodied, the flavors from the roasted malts enter the mouth softly and become all-encompassing, while the mildly bitter hops finish with just the right amount of dryness to prep me for the next sip. Fantastic.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- A medium slickness and moderate foamy texture feels just right for this style. Just right, serving as a backdrop for the dance of flavors parading on the tongue. This could be sessioned until the sun comes up Monday morning.

Without a doubt one of the finest black lagers I have ever had the pleasure of sampling.

I was fortunate enough to find this beer at a local gourmet supermarket called Harry's, just down the street from me. A dark brown-to-blackish hue when poured, this lager offers a generous head at first, settling quickly. I must have sat there for a minute just smelling the beer. Nothing quite like Saaz hops to get the mouth watering. The sweet, dark malts come through, with a bitter aftertaste that's enjoyable.

If I were to single out a beer I would buy perpetually, this would be it. Unfortunately, finding enough to buy perpetually is the more difficult task. I haven't found another place that carries it here, and Harry's carries it in small quantities.

This is a very malty brew, four different malts are used in the brewing, but this is balanced by a generous helping of Saaz hops. As befits a proper lager, it is stored (lagered) for 70 days in the cellars of the brewery before bottling.

A gold medal was awarded at the Czech Beer Competition in 2000.

Deep ruby color with a creamy brown head with lace till the end. A smooth, refreshing and malty-hoppy aroma, with yeasty notes. The initial palate is full-on bitter chocolate, with good malt character and some vanilla creaminess, complimented by peachy notes on the swallow: the overall smoothness speaks of conscientious lagering. Then the Saaz shows itself with a marked, bracing hop kick in the finish. A lingering bitter chocolate aftertaste.

This is an exceptional beer when drunken ice cold. Very drinkable, I reached the bottom of each glass before I knew it.

Very fresh, clean and smooth. Burnt malt aroma and flavors with hints of Saaz mingled into both as well. The finish lasts forever, leaving you with a lingering malt bitterness at the back of the throat making you want for more.

Black ! (amber tones to a light source) with a brown head leaving good lace. Roasty and bittersweet chocolate aroma and flavor. Tastes exactly like it smells - rich and delicious ! Medium bodied (leans full) and creamy with a bittersweet finish.

It's hard to think of another beer that can stand up to this one in terms of style - pleasantly suprised by this Czech brewery which also makes great Pilsners !